Naruto's Afterlife Adventures
by nolessthan3
Summary: Kami sends everyone from Naru's world to the afterlife in bleach. Naruto, with too many regrets/hopes, becomes a hollow and becomes insane the fun kind in hueco mundo. After searching for 400 years he is found by accident but doesnt want to go to the soul society. Instead he leaves clues to big events that will happen and befriends Ichigo and helps him in his adventures. SasuNaru
1. Intro

**I DO NOT OWN NARUTO NOR BLEACH!**

**AN: Sasuke didn't leave in this story. It is a SasuNaru**

Introduction:

After the war with the Akatsuki and Madara was over, the world was in bad shape. Chaos reigned through the ninja villages. Their forces were cut by half and many of their more powerful allies were destroyed. The earth itself had taken the most damage, though. Continuous jutsu and biju bombs had warn it down. There were multiple wastelands with no life whatsoever. Kami had seen this and decided that there was no hope left for the world. She called on all the souls of the living and dead, and sent them to the soul society or hell. The soul's that were eaten by the shinigami were included in this change. Everyone had made it and not become hollows….except one. Naruto had too many regrets and hopes for the future. To rebuild Konoha, be with his lover and to live his life to the fullest as hokage. He had finally destroyed his enemies and secured peace for his village! Then, suddenly, all of his friends started dropping dead. In the street, on missions, talking with people. It didn't matter where, and then he saw their souls leave their body and disappear. He rushed home from his office to see Sasuke. He ran through the door to see his soul disappear. He heard Kami in his head telling him what was happening and that it was his turn. Seeing Sasuke's body drop to the floor lifeless, made him become enraged. So enraged that he merged with Kyuubi.

His screams of rage haunted the wasteland previously known as Konoha. He hugged the body of his love and cried out. A beam of golden light surrounded him before he disappeared. Kami searched fearfully for him, but never found him. He was the one being with the potential to defeat her. Eventually she came to the conclusion that he entered the reincarnation cycle. She was wrong. Naruto had been sent to Hueco Mundo, the place where madness reigns and insanity turns to sanity.


	2. Chapter 1

**I DO NOT OWN NARUTO NOR BLEACH!**

Naruto POV:

Everything was dark. So dark. I opened my eyes, only to see more darkness. Strangely though, this one I could see through. A starless black sky stretched across a barren desert. _Where am I?_ The sand seemed to generate a strange energy and whispered sweet things to me. I covered my ears, not wanting to listen to their urgings to kill, eat and destroy. Skeletons littered its domain and no water was in sight. My ears and tails twitched as I heard a scuffling sound. Wait. Ears and ….tails? I looked behind me and saw 12 golden fox tails with white tips. Reaching up I also felt big fluffy matching fox ears. My nails were claws, my hair had grown out to match my fathers, and I felt my canines peek out from my lips.

I thought back to what happened before and my head snapped up, while my eyes widened. _That's right! Everyone died!_ Did that mean I was dead? Then something happened. Information started flowing into my brain; merging with Kyuubi, hollows and shinigami, centuries of knowledge! I shouted in pain and clutched my head. The pain subsided and I was left alone again. None of my friends were with me. They probably didn't even remember me. Alone….Before I could dwell on it a snake hollow attacked me. I leapt back and to the left, to avoid a swipe of its tail. A low hiss sounded from its mask.

"What luck. A new hollow, but with such spiritual pressure. I'll surely become a vasto lorde!"

The sand whispered to me 'kill it! Kill it! Kill it now!' I followed its advice and grabbed the hollows tail. Using some of my strength I swung it into a boulder nearby. It hissed in pain and tried to stand up. Before it could move I used my claws to pin it to the ground as I stood above it. I stared down at its fearful eyes before using my other hand's caws to tear a hole straight through the mask of the hollow. My hand emerged through the back of its head. It froze for a moment before disappearing into spirit particles. A pool of its blood was all that remained. I looked into it to see a maliciously grinning fox mask with glowing sapphire eyes. The sands whispered to me again. 'Fun. Fun to kill and remain.' I giggled. It was fun indeed. I decided to listen to the sand and an insane glint entered my eyes. I didn't even realize I was crying. _So alone….._

400 years later: Soul Society (before Ichigo saved Rukia)

"Good morning Minato-taicho."

"Good morning."

Minato, a blonde man with blue eyes, was walking through his squad barracks towards the mission assignments room. It was where captains gave their squads, or subordinates, hollows to kill or cities to protect. Usually his squad was given missions to kill higher level hollows due to their ninja training. When their soul's transferred some of their abilities came with them. The ninja's had their own section of the seirieti(spelling?) and had their own captains. The kage's became captains, jonins became vice-captains or first through third seats, and chunins made the rest. The genin were sent to the academy. The ninja had a choice to become shinigami, so many did while others went to the rukongi. Minato's son hadn't been found anywhere in the realm, and that still made him sad to this day. His wife, Kushina, still searches for him in the rukongi on her days off.

Minato sat behind his desk and glared at his paperwork. No matter where he went, be it a parallel universe, it still haunted him. Cursing his fate he started on the first stack. His hand would occasionally twitch and send pen across the room. Kushina would sigh, pick it up and chastise him for it. He'd sheepishly rub the back of his head and apologize. In the middle of the stack was an assignment for an A-rank hollow in the human world. It was called the sleeper because it made the victims enter their fantasy worlds before devouring their souls. _Hmmm. This needs to be handled by people immune to its powers._ _I got it!_

"Kushina, dear, could you please bring me Sasuke, Sakura and Gaara?"

"Sure Minato-kun."

She put her paperwork down, thank the gods that she helped, and left to get them. 5 minutes later she walked back in with Sasuke and Gaara. Both had their expressionless masks in place and casually leaned against the wall. Sasuke, like Kushina, continuously searched for Naruto every chance he could. Minato had learned of their relationship after first meeting Sasuke. At first he didn't approve, thinking that Sasuke was a heartless bastard, but then approved later. One day Sasuke had reported in with bruises and bloodied knuckles. After questioning him about their origin he found out that Sasuke had fought 10 members of the 11th division for insulting Naruto. Apparently they had called Naruto weak and unworthy to be included in the serieti. Sasuke had proceeded to decimate them including the 3rd seat. Only after that, did Minato give him his approval.

After another 3 minutes of waiting, Sakura walked in with Kushina. She apologized for being late, but she had to heal the 'dumbasses' of the 11th division. They had gotten too rough while sparring….again. Minato told her there was nothing to apologize for, before calling everyone to attention. The trio stood in front of Minato's desk at attention.

"We've gotten reports of an A-class hollow called the sleeper. It uses illusions to capture its victims in their fantasies, before devouring them. I want you guys to go near a small village called Kalinda and destroy it."

All three bowed. "Understood."

With that they all disappeared to the human world. Minato sighed and leaned back on his chair. He had a weird feeling that something major was going to happen today.

Kalinda Town:

They arrived about 3 miles away from the town, at the entrance to a cave. It was too dark to see anything but they went inside anyway. They knew that hollows preferred dark places due to them being from hueco mundo. None of them had ever been there, but the reports from other shinigami described it as dark and horrid. Sakura, with her perfect reitsu control, made a ball of light in her hand. With it they could see the hollow in front of them. It looked like a giant bat with brown eyes. It screeched and Sasuke immediately activated his sharingan. He could see the illusion forming but cancelled it before it could finish. Gaara had constructed a sand barrier that prevented the sound from penetrating his ears, and Sakura had formed a layer of protective reitsu over her ears.

The hollow was surprised that its attack didn't work and was unnerved by Sasuke's eyes. It tried to escape but a sand wall blocked it. Gaara's zanpakto, his gourd, was constantly in shikai form and had control over sand. Sakura drew her sword. It looked like a normal sword with a cherry blossom guard and designs running up the blade. Sasuke also drew his. It was a dark purple blade with a snake design wrapped around it, and it had a shuriken shaped guard. Gaara's sand wrapped around the hollow's feet while Sasuke and Sakura charged. The hollow used its wings to shield itself, so Sasuke and Sakura both cut deeply into them. It screeched in pain and flapped its wings, sending both of them skidding across the cave floor. The bat flapped its wings 2 more times before opening them completely and screeching. Seeing the opportunity, Sasuke leapt at its mask. His blade started at the top of its mask and slashed vertically down. It disappeared into spirit particles. Sasuke and Sakura sheathed their swords while Gaara called his sand back and they all walked back outside.

"That was refreshing. Right Sasuke-kun?" Sakura had gotten over her crush long ago, but the habit of calling him 'Sasuke-kun' stayed.

"Hn. Too easy."

"Sigh. I guess."

They reached the outside and starting walking to the village for a last sweep for hollows, when they heard a voice they hadn't heard in a long time.

"Maa~ Well there's some faces I haven't seen in a while."

**AN: Who is it? Naruto? I put emphasis on Naruto being alone, because it's his biggest fear in this story. That's why he's going insane, that and the sand. Review and favorite please! :D**


	3. Chapter 2

**I DO NOT OWN NARUTO NOR BLEACH!**

Slowly the trio turned around, not believing their ears. No one had seen or heard from him for 400 years! But here he was. Casually standing behind them with a tight black midriff top, short black shorts that had a cape like attachment on the back, and criss-cross leather across his chest. His seal was clear for all to see. On his back was a long back sword with dark and light blue flames running against the sharp end (a lot like Ichigo's when he storms the soul society, just different colors). Its hilt had sapphires splashed on it. The wind whipped his hair and clothes around. The trio was shocked, but what caught their attention were the fox ears and tails, along with whisker mark mask fragments. They could tell it was from a hollow mask because it looked to be made of bone. He was a hollow. Still, this was their Naruto, the person they thought they lost.

"Naruto!" They all shouted in unison.

He casually waved his left hand. "Yo!"

Sasuke was in shock. A smile almost appeared on his face. Then Naruto opened his eyes a little. They were the same deep blue, but something seemed to be a little…off about them. He spread his arms out for a hug. Sasuke and Sakura started to move towards him but Gaara quickly threw his arm out in front of them, to stop them from advancing forward. Naruto narrowed his eyes and dropped his grin, before slapping it back on his face again only bigger.

"Ne, ne. That was mean Gaa-chan. I was just going to give them a hug."

Gaara's own eyes narrowed. "Your eyes give you away. Even if I can't see them completely, they are the same as mine was."

Naruto lowered his head then quickly snapped it up with his eyes wide open. Sasuke and Sakura gasped. His eyes weren't normal. The insanity in them was plain to see, they held only empty glee and loneliness. They heard Naruto sigh and take a step forward before disappearing. Then Gaara felt an arm wrap around his throat and the hand attach to it touch his face. Claws slightly dug into his skin, not hard enough to bleed, though. Naruto stood slightly behind him and leaned in to whisper in his ear.

"You know, if I wanted to….I could kill you all right now." To emphasize he dug his claws in deeper to draw some blood. They were all in shock. They hadn't even seen him move, and now he was threating their lives? Then he giggled and moved away from Gaara. "But I won't. After all, you are my precious people."

He moved back to where he was standing before, and started whispering to himself. His head turned slightly to the right. Sakura got the courage to speak. "N-Naruto?"

He snapped his head toward her. The crazed gleam even clearer in his eyes. "Yessss~"

Sakura shivered. "What-" Gulp. "What are you doing here?"

Naruto tapped his chin in thought. "Well~ I'm here because the sand told me to-" _Sand?_ "kill the hollow that was here and then-" He suddenly clutched his head and started shouting. "No! I won't kill them! They're precious. You…yes…fine."

Naruto POV:

'Kill them.' The sand was speaking again.

"No! I won't kill them! They're precious."

'Who was there when you needed someone?'

"…..You"

'Then you'll do what I say right? I'm precious?'

"Yes."

'Good. I won't make you kill them, because I am here for you. Instead I want you to summon a hollow and kill it now! That way you won't hurt your precious people."

"Fine."

End Naruto POV:

Back with the others, the trio was slightly freaked that he was talking to nothing. Sasuke was worried for what his love had been through to break him like that. What he couldn't protect him from. He needed to help him, but before he could go to where Naruto was Naruto snapped his fingers. Afterwards they felt a hollow appear behind them. Immediately they spun around weapons drawn. The hollow looked like a bear and it seemed to be confused, because it was looking around like it wasn't supposed to be there. Before the shinigami could attack Naruto appeared in front of them, a malicious and bloodthirsty grin on his face. His eyes sparkled with glee and the need to kill. His twisted grin went from ear to ear revealing long sharp canines. He looked between them and the hollow before speaking.

"Leave this to me guys. I want to have some fun!"

With that he leapt at the bear hollow. His clawed hand dug into its shoulder and he grinned as he dragged it down. The hollow shrieked in pain making Naruto's eyes shine with excitement. He grabbed the hollow's left arm and tore it off its body, then he tripped the hollow on its back and crouched on its chest. He smiled innocently before it turned into a blood thirsty maniacal grin and he grabbed both sides of the hollow's mask. He started to pull. It begged and pleaded for him to stop but he didn't. The shinigami knew that pulling off a hollow's mask was the most painful way to kill it, but they couldn't do anything to ease its suffering. They were standing there shocked that Naruto could be so cruel. Eventually its screaming stopped and Naruto pulled off its mask completely. It dissolved into spirit particles and Naruto stood up in silence.

Then, as if a spell broke, he started laughing brokenly. He raised his bloody hands into the air and laughed! He was saying things about how happy the sand was too. He ran his hands down his face, making it drip with blood. It was more than disturbing. Even Gaara wasn't this bad. Suddenly he turned to face them as if suddenly aware of their presence. It looked like one of his eyes was bigger than the other and they were visibly shaking. He started giggling again before somewhat composing himself.

"Did you- hee hee- enjoy the show?"

"N-Naruto…" Sakura could only say his name.

His smile grew. "Because it was soooo~ much fun!" He spread his arms and spun in a circle. "It's so~ much fun to kill! Don't you all agree?"

"Naruto." Sasuke started. He was beyond concerned. "You aren't healthy. Come with us so we can,** I** can help you."

Naruto's eyes lost some of its insane gleam and recognition shined through. "Sasuke…Don't worry about me. I'm fine. I thought I was alone, but the sand was there for me. But enough about me. I've heard some very interesting rumors from the hollows lately. It has to do with the soul society too. And before you ask, yes I know all about it and the shinigami."

Instantly everyone was on alert. Hollows talking about the soul society was rare and usually bad news. Gaara spoke. "What have you heard?"

Naruto giggled. "Now now. There's no fun in just telling you! Instead, I'll give you a hint. Besides, I want to see how your abilities have developed while I was….away."

They all hesitantly nodded. They wanted more than a hint, but they would take what they could get. Any information was priority. Naruto clapped his hands. "Good. Here's the hint: They eyes reveal all. 3 altogether hide theirs away. Although one is not what he seems….Well then, I'm going to go now. I don't really want to be killed today. Especially not by you guys. Ja ne!"

Sakura called for him to stop. "Wait Naruto!" He did just that. He turned around and smiled his old foxy smile. "What's that sword on your back?"

"Why, it's my zanpakto of course."

"How do you, a-a hollow have one?"

He shook his head. "That is a conversation for another time. I'm going to leave now but if you ever need me just call my name with all your heart. I will come to help you even if the sand doesn't want me too. And Sasuke, I hope you can now be with your family. I've missed you but I'm not ready to go with you yet." He turned around, his tails flicking idly behind him, and a gargantua appeared in front of him. "That's all for now. See ya later. That's a promise, believe it!"

He stepped inside and started walking. Sasuke called for him to stop but the portal had already closed. The team looked at each other before rushing back to report what had happened to their captain. They had found Naruto, and even though he became a hollow, there was a chance they could save him! Sasuke was thrilled that his Naruto was 'alive' even if he was crazy. It didn't matter because he would save him. Naruto won't be alone anymore! Not if he had anything to do about it!


	4. Chapter 3

**I DO NOT OWN NARUTO NOR BLEACH!**

"Taicho! Taicho!" Two shouts were yelling simultaneously.

Minato, who had previously been taking a nap on his desk, was rudely awakened with his door slamming open and 3 people rushing in. They were all trying to catch their breath. Unfortunately the rush of wind had knocked over and scattered all the papers on his desk. That is, all but the one on his face. It fell off and Minato surveyed the room. Right after that he screamed. He clutched his head and screamed and cried for the loss of his work. He had finally signed them all! After he was done screaming he sat down in the corner of his office and cried silently. His knees were drawn up to his chest and an aura of depression rolled off of him in waves. The 3 squad members didn't know how to react to his outburst and were still trying to catch their breath. Thankfully, Kushina walked in saw the panting team, scattered papers, and depressed Minato. She easily figured out what had happened. Smiling she went over to her husband and lightly touched his shoulder.

"Minato, dear, I believe this team is here to see you."

He twitched and slowly nodded. After Kushina sat back at her desk he started to move. He turned his head to face the team with a glare that could make the Uchiha's pee their pants. Tear tracks ran down his voice, that made him look scarier, and his voice was low. "This better be fucking impor-"

"It is! It's about Naruto!" Sakura shouted.

Instantly all jokes stopped and Minato was on his face, standing next to Kushina, facing the team. He knew this wasn't a joke because these were Naruto's closest friends. "What about Naruto?"

Sasuke stood up straight and spoke in a firm voice, not portraying his inner feelings. "We saw him taicho. After our fight with the hollow he met us outside the cave…"

Minato held up his hand to stop the explanation. "Please explain from the beginning." And so they explained from when they got their orders to fighting the hollow to talking to Naruto. They each gave their own opinion on his physical and mental condition. "So…my son is a hollow and insane?"

Kushina, worried for her child, spoke. "But how? Kami said it wasn't possible."

Gaara sighed. "He is the most unpredictable ninja. He was formed like any other hollow. He had too many regrets and hopes, and his emotions were going haywire. He saw Sasuke die before his eyes, I am sure that that is what caused him to become a hollow. What I am more concerned about is how he said that he talks with the sand."

Sakura nodded. "Yeah. It's like what happened with you and Shukaku. I don't want to know what he went through in heuco mundo to make him like that." A shiver ran down everyone's spine.

Minato took a contemplative position. "And on top of that he said there was something wrong in the soul society. However we can never trust the word of hollows."

They all sighed. This was, as Shikamaru put it, too troublesome. Sakura put her finger to her chin. "What did he mean? Insert hint Should we tell the other captains about it?"

Minato quickly shook his head. "No. We don't know if what he said was true or not, but I don't want any chances. I don't want anyone to go into hiding before we have a chance to stop them. Just keep an eye out for anyone suspicious. If any of you do see Naruto again try to convince him to be purified, but do not engage. We don't know how powerful he is right now, so I don't want anyone to get hurt."

All three bowed. "Yes Taicho!" And left.

Minato sighed, and Kushina saw it. She understood how painful it must be for him to have his only son become a hollow. To have his and her child stand against the world from day one. "It'll be alright Minato-kun."

He smiled a hopeful smile to her. "Yeah. You're right."

Sasuke was walking back to the clan compound. Even in the soul society they were treated as nobles. He snorted at the thought; this would only increase their arrogance. Still, it was nice to have his family again. Even his brother. Sasuke had discovered the truth of the clan's murder after he inflicted a mortal wound Itachi. He had explained everything to Sasuke, who upon hearing this went to find Danzo and kill him. Naruto had stopped him saying that killing danzo would only result in him being a criminal and that they would never see eachother again. Even in his enraged state, Sasuke wouldn't hurt Naruto in any way. Instead he waited for the right time to take him out secretly.

Right now his thoughts were occupied by the vision of a smiling blonde haired, blue eyed beauty. He just couldn't think of Naruto as insane. It didn't fit his personality, but there was proof. Specifically the memory of Naruto destroying that hollow. It was enough to make him shiver. His Naruto would never have enjoyed it, but this one did. He was starting to think that his Naruto would never return. But then a thought hit him. What had Naruto said? 'I've missed you but I'm not ready to go with you yet.' That meant that he was being held back by something he had to do. Once he was finished he'd come home! The only question was what that goal was and how he would achieve. Sasuke hoped, prayed, that it wouldn't be something that made him have to hunt hi m down. Sasuke wasn't sure he could do it. Not with fearful terrified blue eyes staring back at him. No. He couldn't, only if Naruto was ready could he purify him. He was sure that that would cause trouble in the future, but he knew himself. He winced. _Great now I sound like a girl._


	5. Chapter 4

**I DO NOT OWN BLEACH OR NARUTO!**

Naruto was chillaxing in a cave in heuco mundo. Suddenly he sneezed. _Huh. Someone must be talking about the most amazing me._ He was lying down with his hands behind his head and one leg bent. _What should I do now? It's gotten boring here. _He closed his eyes and his face scrunched up in thought. He'd already killed a bunch of hollows, met up with his old comrades and made a dramatic exit, and left a clue for them. Now what to do? _Hmmm. I haven't been to the living world yet. I guess I'll go there!_ He jumped up, stretched, and yawned. Afterwards he casually created a portal to the human world and stepped inside. He strolled through it and appeared in a park. To be specific, Karakura (spelling?) City Park.

He made sure to hide his spiritual pressure, in case there were soul reapers nearby. Deciding that he wanted to try something new, he did. Concentrating harder than an insane person should be able to, he solidified his reitsu around him. When he finished there was a body, gigai, in front of him. He stepped into it and started to explore. Naruto whistled a tune as he observed his surroundings. Then his eyes widened in shock from what he was seeing. Buildings, taller than the hokage tower, littered the city. Motorized machines carried people from place to place. They moved as fast as a ninja could too, and they made a loud roaring sound as the whizzed by. There were just so many people too! He thought Konoha was packed but this place was even more so. The sheer size of the city was at least twice that of Konoha. There were a large amount of souls and hollows throughout the place as well. Where was the soul reaper in charge? That was when he bumped into someone and fell on his butt, which surprised him because he was usually much more alert than this. Then he felt it. This person had a high amount of spiritual power, reminiscent to that of a shinigami, but a lot was left untapped.

"Sorry about that. I was in a rush to get to school."

A hand appeared in front of Naruto's face. Taking it, he smiled and looked up at the mystery person. The person was male, in his teens, had bright orange hair (which Naruto thought was SUPER COOL!), and brown eyes. He was dressed in what appeared to be a school uniform, and had a serious and determined aura around him.

"That's alright. I wasn't looking where I was going."

"Ichigo!" A girl's voice shouted. Looking behind Ichigo, Naruto saw a girl in a similar uniform running towards them. She had short black hair and black eyes, with a serious and kind aura around her.

"Rukia! What are-"

"Not time! I just got a text. We got to go."

With that, she grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and literally dragged him off somewhere. Naruto stood in the dust. As it cleared he blinked, blinked again and then grinned. He was curious, and that meant he wasn't bored. Naruto followed them to wherever they were heading by tracking their spiritual pressure. He could tell that they were headed to the park he had just come from. Hopefully they weren't after him! When Naruto arrived he witnessed a very interesting scene. A passed out Ichigo was lying face down on the ground with Rukia standing next to him. She was yelling at another Ichigo that was battling a beetle hollow. This Ichigo wielded a big sword and was swinging it around wildly. Naruto shook his head. If Ichigo were to go up against a more powerful enemy then he would surely lose. Since the 2 were occupied they didn't notice Naruto's presence. After they defeated the hollow, Naruto swiftly left to think about what he had seen. It was fairly obvious that Rukia transferred her powers to Ichigo, which awakened some of his own. That was why she could see hollows and knew how to defeat them. So now Ichigo was in charge of fighting hollows while she is out of commission. But the last time Naruto checked, that was illegal in the soul society. He wondered what would happen if they were caught. _Wait…Is that the girl Aizen is after?_ He realized it was. Naruto grinned mischievously. This was very interesting. He would have to stay and see how things progress. Naruto knew that whatever happens, it's going to be a lot of fun. Right now he needed a place to stay, Naruto pouted at this, and he would have to sign up for school.

Next Day: Karakura High School

Ichigo wasn't in the best of moods. Yesterday he had to listen to Rukia lecture him on killing hollows, comfort his sister Yuzu after she was bullied, and dodge his father's random attacks. A scowl was on his face and he glared at anyone stupid enough to try and make fun of his hair. It was his natural color damn it!

He threw the door to the classroom open and threw his stuff on his desk. After he sat down, his friend Keigo came over with a dramatic twirl and tears on his face. "Ichigo~" Ichigo simply put his fist up and Keigo ran right into it. He lay on the ground whimpering and Ichigo couldn't help but chuckle slightly. That seemed to cheer him up, and he tried to hug Ichigo. He ended with the same results. Before anything else could happen the teacher walked in. She had long black hair and glasses. She started taking attendance, which Ichigo tuned out of. He was friends with 5 people in the class, but everyone knew who he was. He raised his hand non-committaly when his name was called. After she finished attendance, a knock on the door sounded.

"Ah. That must be the new student. Come in!"

New student? That made Ichigo look up. He saw the blonde haired blue-eyed boy he had run into yesterday, walk into class. He looked like he was 13 and didn't belong in a high school class, but here he was. The uniform seemed way too big for him, so he kept it up with a rainbow colored belt. Neon paperclips stuck out on his uniform at random places. His ears were pierced multiple times with chains and spiky earrings. 2 bobby clips, a pink one and blue one, kept his bangs out of his face. Speaking of, 3 whisker marks on each of his cheeks seemed odd to have. 3 bracelets on his left arm and paint splatter shoes completed his look.

"Yo!" He held up a hand. "Name's Naruto Uzumaki, believe it!"

**AN: Ok, so Naruto knows about his father (he just doesn't want anyone to know who he really is just in case). I bet you're wondering where he got money to pay for stuff, well he's writing books about his life as a ninja. I know these past 2 chapters were lame, but now it'll get good. Now that he found Ichigo the adventure will begin! Mwahahahaha!**


	6. Chapter 5

**I DO NOT OWN NARUTO NOR BLEACH!**

Naruto took a cursory look around the room before stopping at Ichigo. He pointed at him and, with a very loud voice, shouted. "Ah-ha! Strawberry-chan." Everyone was laughing making Ichigo blush in embarrassment. Then he abruptly stood up and glared at Naruto, even though it didn't seem to have any effect on him.

"Don't call me that!"

"Awww~ But it's so cute Ichi-chan!"

Ichigo was shaking in anger. "I'm going to kick your ass!" His friend Keigo tried to stop him, but Ichigo snapped when he heard what Naruto said next.

"Oh noooo! I'm so scared. Why is Ichi-chan so mean?" He said in the whiniest way possible. Breaking free of Keigo, Ichigo ran towards Naruto. He threw a punch but was only met with air. Then he heard Orihime gasp. Looking back he saw Naruto kneeling in front of her saying, "Princess, I have seen people far and wide and never found someone such as you. Truly a beauty of body and soul. Please allow me the pleasure of kissing your perfect hand."

Wind blew through the windows making their curtains fly around, and flower petals floated into the room. Naruto gently grabbed her left hand and lowered his face to kiss it. Chuu~ Orihime blushed and Naruto stood up smiling.

"Ah. Truly a princess."

Ichigo was about to say something, but Chizuru stepped in. "Hey! Orihime shall not be tainted by any man. No matter who he is."

She grabbed Orihime and pulled her back. A tear ran down Naruto's smiling face. He bowed. "You are right. One as dirty as I should not be allowed in the presence of such a beautiful and strong princess, such as yourself." He grabbed Chizuru's hand and kissed it. He looked up at her pleadingly. "Forgive me, princess."

Chizuru's face turned red before steam exploded from her head. She mumbled, "T-that's alright. You are forgiven."

Naruto wiped the tear away and smiled. "Thank-you princess. I hope that all the other princesses feel the same way." At that he looked at all the girls. "I am truly privileged to be in a class with all of you."

All the girls squealed and surrounded him, except for Tatsuki who sat at her desk blushing madly. The other girls had hearts in their eyes and were saying weird things. Like 'Can I be your princess?' or 'Are you single?' or 'Kiss me!' Like I said, weird. Naruto was trying to answer all of their questions and was smiling at the same time.

"Yes. I am happy to be here." Suddenly his face became sad. "Although I don't think Ichigo feels the same way."

All of the girls froze. Then they turned toward Ichigo with fury in their eyes. A fiery background surrounded them and their nails became clause they advanced towards him. "Ichigo…" Ichigo took a step back, sweating, before trying to run away, but wasn't fast enough. The girls then proceeded to pummel him until the teacher reminded them it was time to start class. Ichigo sat at his desk with more than a few bruises on his face. He glared at everything and kept mumbling about his bruises, even though they healed 5 minutes after he got them. Naruto kept winking at girls and didn't even bother taking notes. He simply leaned back, put his feet on the desk and hands behind his head. Completely casual. The teacher didn't seem to care and continued class. After a couple hours, and every class with Naruto, it was lunch. Ichigo was packing up his stuff when Naruto plopped down on the desk next to his. He grinned at the twitching Ichigo.

"Hi Ichi-chan! How are you doing?"

Ichigo's eyebrow twitched. "Don't call me that, and I am fine."

"That's good. I was wondering if I could sit with you at lunch."

"Don't you have some girl to seduce?"

Naruto laughed. "No. I'm already taken."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "Won't she get mad at you for flirting?"

Naruto continued to smile. "Yeah, he would. But he knows there is nothing he can do to stop me."

Ichigo didn't say anything at the he comment. "Whatever, it's your life. If you want to eat with me then we're going to the roof."

Naruto smiled widely. "Thanks Ichi-chan!"

Ichigo gained a tick mark at the nickname, but started to realize it wouldn't change. It seemed to be a part of who Naruto was. Even if it was annoying. He didn't really care about Naruto being ga, in fact he was glad for it Now he wouldn't have to worry about him hurting Tatsuki or Orihime. Rukia is too much of a bad ass to worry about. Speaking of Rukia, she wasn't here today because she had to go talk to someone. Ichigo didn't know who and honestly didn't care. When he opened the door, Naruto saw a group of 3 people. 2 he knew from class but the other he didn't. The guy was buff, tall and tan. His hair covered his eyes, but Naruto could tell he was a nice guy. Ichigo stomped over and sat right next to him. He then looked up at Naruto.

"C'mon. Sit down. Guys, this is Naruto. He'll be eating up here with us."

"Yo." Naruto waved and sat down.

Chad made a "Hm." Noise and Keigo started talking after he shouted a loud, "Welcome!"

The group ate lunch while making small talk. Naruto seemed to fit right in with his loud personality and extravagant stories. He joked around with Keigo, while talking calmly to Matsuda (is that his name?), even Chad seemed to like him. Even when Naruto had started to randomly poke his muscles, asking if they were real. Naruto was quite the character, but then again, so was everyone else in Ichigo's life.

"So Ichigo," Naruto started.

Ichigo gave a "Hm?"

"Who's your girlfriend?"

Ichigo spit out all of the juice he was drinking and started coughing. Naruto watched in amusement as Chad started hitting Ichigo's back to help. Once Ichigo settled down he asked, "What made you think I have, or even want, a girlfriend?"

Naruto absentmindedly scratched his cheek. "Well, you were dragged off by that black haired chick yesterday." Ichigo's friends looked at each other. _Rukia?_ "And I saw the weirdest thing at the park after I followed you guys." Naruto's keen eyes saw the surprise and worry in Ichigo's face. The atmosphere became tense and his friends didn't understand why. _So they don't know huh? Alright…._ "You were passed out on the ground with that girl standing over you, yelling at you. Hahaha! What happened? A lovers spat?" Naruto smiled.

The tense atmosphere evaporated leaving an incredulous Ichigo and grinning Keigo. "Why Ichigo, I had no idea! How could you abandon us?"

"Shut up Keigo. We aren't going out?" Their bickering continued leaving a smiling Naruto in the background.

**AN: That's the chapter. Ichigo hasn't met Uryu yet, Chad doesn't have his powers and Rukia is still safe. Hope you like it. Review and favorite please! :D**


	7. Chapter 6

**I DO NOT OWN NARUTO NOR BLEACH!**

The next day Rukia was introduced to Naruto. Being the suspicious person she is, she immediately suspected Naruto of something. She played the part of what she thought was a polite girl ad he bowed and said hello. Strangely enough, by the time lunch rolled around the two were very close friends. They were talking about pranks they had played on other people. Everyone that listened to their conversation laughed at the victims and shivered in fear of it happening to them. They felt especially bad for Naruto's first teacher because he always had to deal with Naruto's pranks.

"-and then I painted funny faces onto the monument, and no one could catch me!"

"Hahaha! Good one. Hey, you never told me where you're from Naruto."

"Oh yeah. He didn't tell us either." Ichigo said.

Rukia peered at Naruto suspiciously. Did he avoid it on purpose? Naruto merely smiled and said, "Well….you never asked." Rukia face-planted the floor. Naruto had said it in such a matter-of-fact way that she couldn't help but respond like that. Naruto's normally squinted eyes opened wider in amusement. "If you really want to know-" By now he had everyone's attention. "Then too bad~ I'm not telling." Cue epic entire classroom face plant. Seeing everyone's annoyed faces made Naruto laugh. Not an insane, bloodthirsty laugh, but on with a pleasant sound. Soon everyone had joined in. His laugh was just so contagious and….welcoming.

One week later Naruto POV:

I was having the time of my life, er afterlife. Messing with Ichigo until he tried to punch or kick me in the face, and me always getting away, forming pranks with Rukia and basically becoming friends with everyone in the class. As the days went on I realized that my smiles were becoming less forced and my laughter was frequent. It was strange, and I liked it. The sand had even asked for less blood of hollows! It was great! Chad had awakened his spiritual powers along with Orihime, but they were still weak. My grades were a little below average because I had never even heard of a lot of the things in this world. I hadn't gotten a place to stay either because I liked to lie under the stars. I guess it was a habit from my time as a ninja. Having to camp out multiple times. Tonight was no different.

I was sprawled out across the ground looking at the stars. It was a quiet night, perfect for thinking. I sighed. That's exactly what I'm doing. I never meant to get attached to everyone but it just sort of happened. I guess it's just the sort of person I am but still….I know it'll only cause trouble in the future. Well, whatever. I'll just see what happens when I get there. Another thought was on Rukia. I knew that the soul society was coming to get her soon, but what should I do? Protect her, recue her or….kill her now? _Whoah there Naruto! That was way too dark for me._ A sudden surge of spiritual pressure knocked me from my thoughts. It was Ichigo's. _Hmmm. Wonder what's going on._ After stretching a little bit I disappeared and reappeared a long distance away, witnessing a hilarious scene. Ichigo was standing behind one of the boys in the class, Uryu, with his zanpakto tied to Uryu's head. It looked hilarious along with the giant bow in Uryu's hands. Ichigo was saying something before he took off towards a menos. He was immediately sent flying back. I was about to step in when the sand said to wait. I was confused for a second before Ichigo's spiritual pressure higher.

"Ho~ what's this?"

Ichigo was charging at the hollow and stabbed into it causing it to shriek in pain. The cut was too shallow though, and caused the menos to retreat back to hueco mundo. _Sill…for a substitute shinigami, and for only a couple of weeks no less, that was impressive._ And there was so much room for him to grow! Right then and there I decided how to handle the Rukia problem. A man in a green and white stripped bucket hat stared at me as I slinked away. I sensed the wariness in his stance and smirked at that. I nodded at him, acknowledging his presence, before stepping into the darkness. The next day had one less menos to worry about. And school is where I am now.

I waved towards my friends as I walked through the front gate. "Hey Ichi-chan! Hime-chan! Rukia-chan! Chad-kun! Keigo! Matsuda!"

Orihime waved back while Ichigo stood there brooding. "Hey Naruto! You're early."

"Yes. I thought you were skipping today." Rukia said.

I rubbed the back of my head. "Haha. I was but I forgot about something I had planned for today."

Rukia perked up. "A prank?"

I smiled. "You know me too well."

Ichigo sighed. "What did you do this time?"

"Nothing too-" A loud boom was heard followed by a shout of Uzumaki! "much."

The group stared in shock as smoke began to rise from their classroom. What could Naruto have done? Hopefully it wasn't illegal, but knowing him, it could be. Seeing as no one was reacting, because his pranks were a normal thing now, the gang went back to talking. 10 minutes later, after a lot of teasing from Naruto, the bell rang. They went to their class and stopped at the door. Who knew what was beyond this? Hopefully not wild dogs again…With a gulp Ichigo opened the door and stepped inside. The class followed. There didn't appear to be anything necessarily wrong with the classroom. Then they heard it. Tiny little croaking sounds filled the room. One student sat at his desk, but yelped when he felt something squirming under his butt. Standing up, he saw a frog leap away from him. Soon enough the entire floor was covered in frogs, who appeared to have evil eyes. One of the frogs in front threw his front leg out and croaked loudly. Afterwards all of the frogs charged at the students. The teacher started screaming, "Not again!" Naruto was just laughing at everyone else's expense. He high-fived the lead frog before speaking to it.

"Nice one Gama-kun! Hahaha! You can leave now if you want." They saluted each other before the frogs left. Naruto stared amusedly at the students cowering on desks and chairs.

Ichigo asked the question on everyone's mind. "H-how?"

Naruto smiled and shrugged. "Got a thing with frogs. They just like me for some reason."

Everyone just sighed at Naruto's response, except for Rukia who laughed with him.

**AN: Ok, so….Boring chapter I know. The next one is where Rukia is taken to the soul society. Look forward to it. Thanks for all the favorites and reviews! Love you guys! **


	8. Chapter 7

**I DO NOT OWN NARUTO NOR BLEACH!**

The following days were nothing short of boring. There was less hollow activity and Naruto was beginning to get antsy and twitchy.He was ready for anything to happen, anything to entertain him. His trips to hueco mundo were becoming more frequent and his friends were starting to get worried for him. They had grown to love the blonde like their insane little brother. During his time there he had helped all of them overcome some emotional pain with deep words and understanding, but then turned right around and became that same idiotic dobe again. For Orihime it was her brother. She still remembered that experience.

Flashback:

Orihime was walking home with her head down. She was still upset at what happened to her brother. She pretended not to remember what happened but in truth she did. Ichigo had purified her brother's soul after it turned into a hollow and attacked her. The wound in her heart still wasn't healed. She didn't notice the person in front of her until she walked into him. With a quick shout from surprise she fell onto the ground on top of him,

"Well well Orihime. I didn't know you liked me this much." Blinking she looked down and saw Naruto beneath her. She blushed and scrambled off of him.

"S-sorry Naruto! I was lost in thought."

Naruto merely smiled and waved her off. "That's alright. Although, it appeared to me that…" His normally squinty eyes opened a bit. "you were sad about something."

Orihime waved her hands in front of her. "No! Not at all. I was just ummmmm."

Naruto put his hand onher shoulder. "It's all right. You can tell me."

Something in his tone of voice told Orihime to trust him. Perhaps it was the wiseness or understanding. Either way, she told him how her brother had died and tried to attack (leaving out Ichigo's name) and how she still felt hurt about it. Naruto listened to her and didn't say a word as she explained. He only started to rub her back as she cried. After she had finished Naruto stayed silent for a moment before speaking.

"You know…I think your brother attacked you out of love. You said that he wanted to devour you so he wouldn't be alone, but wasn't it you who felt that way? With him gone you were all alone. Your emotions might have transferred to him and he only wanted to make you feel better. His remedy was insanity caused by hollowfication. Yours is living on and making friends. While I cannot say which is better, I can tell you that he loved you dearly and only had you in his thoughts. Perhaps….you two will meet again and can talk about it."

Orihime stared at Naruto in shock. She had never thought about it like that. She just assumed that her brother blamed her for everything. The more she thought about it the more she saw how Naruto was right. It was like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She smiled and nodded. "You're right. Thank-you Naruto."

Naruto closed his eyes again and smiled. "No problem! I am the most amazing person around, after all." His voice was back to its higher annoying pitch. It was a surprising transition. Orihime was taken aback by it. Naruto's voice before sounded so sad and knowledgeable. It seemed like a crime to use this one instead. Like it wasn't the real him.

End flashback:

It was nighttime. A disturbance. Spiritual pressure in the area increased dramatically as 2 shinigami stepped through a gate that seemed to appear out of nowhere. One had red hair in a ponytail and strange tattoos on his face. The other had long black hair with his bangs held in 3 circular noble things (AN: I don't know what those are called). He had an aura of nobility around him. They were Renji and Byakuya. Rukia sensed the change in spiritual pressure and immediately identified who caused it. A cold chill went down her spine. She knew that they were for her. But what could she do? She didn't want Ichigo to become involved. She had caused him enough pain as it were. With a quick glance at his sleeping face, she wrote a coded note for him to find before packing her things and leaving via the window. Unbeknownst to her, Naruto had felt the change as well and was heading for its source. He grinned maliciously at the thought of battle. Even in death he was a fighter. It exited him. Ichigo woke up in a quiet room. Normally that wouldn't bother him but he had grown accustomed to Rukia's loud snoring. Slightly worried, he checked the closet to see if she was awake. He was met with an empty closet. Becoming increasingly worried he searched the house for either Rukia or Kon. Funny enough, he was tied to the back of the toilet. Tears were running down the lion's face and his mouth was duck-taped shut. Ichigo ripped off the tape and demanded to know where Rukia.

"She-she's gone! She tied me up before leaving." Ichigo stared at him for a little while before snapping out of it and calling her such an idiot. They ran back up to Ichigo's room and saw a note on his desk. It had some sort of weird code, which Ichigo quickly figured out. They discovered that she left because shinigami were after her and she didn't want to get them involved. Ichigo immediately (and without thinking) decided to rescue her. He ran outside, leaving Kon behind and outside in the direction of her spiritual pressure. Before he could get that far a man in a green and white striped hat stopped him.

"Hat 'n Clogs! What are you doing here?"

"Just helping out a customer. I guess I will put ths on credit."

He tapped his cane on Ichigo's head and forced his soul out of his body. Ichigo stared at Urahara in thanks before realizing he had no time to waste and took off running down the street. He couldn't believe Rukia would be so stupid. He mad a sharp left down a side street and found her. She appeared unharmed but Uryu was bleeding heavily. A sword barreling down towards him. Ichigo blocked it, causing the red head to jump away in shock. Ichigo stood there shouldering his weapon. Renji's eyes widened.

"Who are you? What unit are you from? And what is with that ridiculously oversized zanpaktou!?"

Ichigo blinked. "What? It's big?"

"Hmph. He cant even control his own spiritual pressure!"

Renji smirked before attacking. Ichigo didn't even have a chance to counter. Renji was too fast and experienced. He leaned on his sword and breathed heavily, while Renji didn't appeared tired at all. Renji started boasting about how stupid Ichigo was and left himself wide open. Ichigo took it and cut Renji's forehead. He smirked and basically told him to shove it.

"Why you-" Renji started, but was interrupted by Byakuya.

"You did leave yourself open, Renji."

"But sir. He's so stupid he wont be able to win."

Renji frowned and continued the fight. This time he delivered a decisive blow to Ichigo's left shoulder. Ichigo's eyes widened and he froze form the pain. He simply stood there as Renji prepared to finish the attack. Just as he was about to get hit, Ichigo's spiritual pressure rose. It weighed down and surprised his attacker and he used it to attack back. His speed rose and he was able to deliver multiple injuries to Renji. Just as he was about to end the battle his sword broke. He tried to find the source and saw the stoic one holding half of his blade. Then he disappeared and reappeared next to Ichigo. Blood sprayed out and onto the ground as he fell.

"You're slow. Even to fall." Renji stared in awe while Ichigo tried to understand what happened. "Perhaps, I shall put you out of your misery." He saw a light gathering at the tips of Byakuya's fingers before a voice interrupted them.

"Hey! I think you've done enough. Your opponent is me now!" That was all Ichigo heard before he passed out. Naruto stood there in his full glory. His hollow mask fragment clear on his face and fox appendages twitching about. He glanced at Ichigo and saw that the wounds were meant to block his soul reaper abilities. He snarled and glared at the person who looked way too much like Itachi. Rukia blinked trying to register how Naruto could see them. He then spoke. "You know….I was just going to let you leave but I think I should get at least some revenge for you hurting my friends." He flexed his clawed hands and looked up with slightly opened blue eyes. "Here I come."

**AN: Ok. There is that chapter. Phew~ Eyes are the windows to the soul so that's why his are always closed. He only opens them in deep emotional moments or battle. Hope you guys enjoy my story. Love all the reviews and favorites. Thanks so much!**


	9. Chapter 8

**I DO NOT OWN NARUTO NOR BLEACH!**

Naruto stood there facing the 2 shinigami. His sword, still attached to his hip, seemed to call to him. Naruto knew it wanted battle but now was not the right time. He smiled and took a step forward before disappearing from Renji's sight. The next thing the redhead saw was a sword blocking a lethal set of claws from digging into his chest. Wide-eyed, he saw Byakuya standing beside him with his sword unsheathed. The only sign that Byakuya was worried or confused was the very slight furrowing of his eyebrows. The blonde smiled eerily and leapt back.

"Renji." Byakuya started. "Stay back. This one is too strong for you."

Unable to deny it, Renji nodded and moved back by Rukia. Naruto decided to taught him into becoming careless. "Yeah Renji! Hide behind him like a whipped dog!"

It did the trick. Renji, enraged, charged at Naruto. Byakuya watched as Renji swung downwards before freezing. His body quivered before he fell backwards. A 4 strike gash ran across his torso where Naruto had clawed it. Byakuya frowned before looking back at Naruto, who was staring at his bloody claws in fascination. He licked one and a bloodthirsty smiled spread across his face. "Not bad. A bit spicy for my tastes though. I prefer my blood to be a bit more revitalizing than that."

Byakuya's frowned deepened. "What are you exactly? You have a hollow's mask, but also a zanpaktou."

The smile grew. "I guess I'm just special."

"N-Naruto?" A timid voice spoke up.

"Ah! Hello Rukia-chan~" Naruto waved like a child to the shell-shocked Rukia. She didn't know what to think. She had checked him out. He showed no signs of seeing ghosts or of being a hollow. Naruto, weird and friendly Naruto, had just taken down a vice captain within seconds. On top of that, he was a hollow! "Sorry Rukia, but I don't think Bya-kun likes me." Indeed. He was staring at Rukia with a questioning and slightly angered glare. Rukia took a step back at seeing it.

"You know this hollow?"

Before Rukia could answer, Naruto cut in. "Ne! Ne! Don't ignore me." Suddenly Naruto appeared in front of Byakuya. "Because it could be the last thing you'll ever do." Naruto's smile was the last thing Byakuya saw as he fell to the ground. The same wound as Renji's running across his chest. He managed to stand up again but felt his legs weaken. What was going on? He could take more pain than this. He glared at Naruto and fought to saty upright. Byakuya saw him licking another claw.

"Hmmmm. Minty. And in case you are wondering, I infused my chakra into your wounds. It weakens and slows down your body. Now…..go take Rukia and Renji back to the soul society." Naruto saw the disbelief and doubt in Rukia's expression. "Do not misunderstand. I plan to free Rukia but I will not do so alone." Naruto pointed at Ichigo and smiled proudly. "He will!"

Byakuya raised an eyebrow at that. Having destroyed the boy's only chance of being a soul reaper. But he wasn't going to pass this opportunity. He grabbed Renji and Rukia before leaving via hell-butterfly. Naruto waved childishly again. Rukia turned to look at Ichigo one more time before the gates finally closed. Naruto didn't miss it. As soon as the gates shut, he dropped his hand and spoke.

"You can come out now."

A man in a green and white haori, with a matching hat, stepped out of the shadows. His cane didn't hide the sword from Naruto. He could sense its power. The umbrella the man was carrying was open, preventing the rain from drenching him. You could just see a little bit of his eyes from underneath the hat's shadow. "Well~ Hello there. I didn't think you could see me."

Naruto snorted. "Bull shit. We both know how powerful we are, Mr Kisuke Urahara."

The man's face darkened for a moment before he smiled. "I didn't know I was popular among the hollows."

"You aren't, but your inventions are."

"Oh?" Kisuke asked.

Naruto nodded and smiled evilly. "Oh yes. Especially the hogyoku."

The humor left Kisuke's face. The hand on his cane tightened. "Who are you and what are you after?"

"I'm sure you know my name by now, after keeping such a close eye on me all this time." Naruto seemed way too cocky. He started inspecting his nails. "But just in case, it's Naruto."

"Naruto…" Kisuke trailed off.

Naruto's smile grew into a shit-eating grin. "Namikaze."

Uruhara was shocked but didn't let it show. "As in Minato's son. He was never found…."He shook his head as if to shake off a thought. "And what exactly are you after?"

"That is the more important question isn't it? Sigh~ I suppose I am here to cause some chaos in the soul society, to have some fun, and guide this story in the direction it is meant to go…..It has been a long time since I felt the need to protect." Naruto turned around and looked at Ichigo. "That Ichigo…..he's a strong one." A warm smile played on his lips.

Uruhara raised an eyebrow. "Not yet. He still hasn't tapped into his own spiritual power yet."

"There are different strengths Mister Uruhara. When I was a young genin-" Uruhara didn't feel the need to question what that was. "someone I once looked up to told me, 'Only by protecting a precious person can someone gain true strength.' At the time I didn't fully understand what that meant." Naruto chuckled softly and looked down. "Now I do though. Ichigo has that strength like I once did. It makes me kind of jealous." Kisuke didn't trust the hollow one bit, but even he could see the sincerity and depth of its words. The atmosphere was no longer tense, but understanding. Suddenly Naruto lifted his head, eyes completely closed, and held a finger up. "Plus, what's death without a little fun?" A light happy background accompanied him.

It took a moment but Urahara responded in kind. "Haha! I guess you're right. I should call up my little kitten and see if she wants to play- Oof!" A black cat jumped onto the back of his head making fall forward onto the ground.

"Kisuke!" A masculine voice shouted. "You should be focusing on getting Ichigo back to the shop. He's bleeding to death over there!"

"Awww~ But Yoru-chan. I made a friend."

"A friend?"

Yoruichi looked up and saw Naruto standing there smiling his foxy smile. She saw his hollow mask and sword, but didn't comment on it. So, there was a new player to the game. The question was was he going to be their side or Aizen's. For some reason Yoruichi thought that he would be more like a puppeteer. Controlling everything from the shadows. She couldn't completely suppress a shiver. She also noticed that Urahara never took his hand off the hilt of his sword-cane, and that meant something. He felt that this person was dangerous, and Kisuke was no pushover. Yoruichi stared the blonde down and examined him closely. She noticed that while he seemed relaxed his body was tightly coiled ready to dodge any sudden attack.

"Don't worry about me. I'll follow right beside you guys. I have some stuff I want to talk to you about as well. I believe that healing young Ichigo should be our main concern though." The hollow smiled and at the very least, made a convincing point. Ichigo could very well die at any moment.


	10. Chapter 9

**I DO NOT OWN NARUTO NOR BLEACH!**

Urahara's shop was unusually quiet. The reason being Ichigo still out cold on the floor. His soul had been returned to his body, but the wound transferred, so there were lots of bandages around his chest and torso. Kisuke sat at a table chatting with Naruto about nonsensical stuff, but both souls remained on guard. Finally Ichigo's hand twitched and he opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was Tessai lying next to him. Ichigo screamed and kicked the man away. Kisuke whipped out his fan and chuckled.

"Now now Ichigo. He was only sharing his body heat with you."

"Body heat my foot!" Ichigo stood up and noticed Naruto sitting in the room, back in his gigai (not that Ichigo knew that) "Naruto? What are you doing here?"

Naruto waved cheerily. "Same as you Berry-chan! We're gonna rescue Rukia together." Naruto cheered.

"Rescue Rukia? But how do you know about that?"

"C'mon Ichi. It's obvious ain't it? I can see spirits and stuff too!"

"What!?" Ichigo yelled, his usual scowl on his face.

"Yup. And believe me when I say that you want be on your side."

Ichigo stared at him curiously. "I would ask what you are, but as long as you're helping Rukia I don't care." See, that right there was what made Naruto like the guy. He was extremely loyal and didn't give a crap about the little details as long as it didn't affect him. It was just like Naruto used to be. Urahara went on to explain the training he had in mind for Ichigo. Naruto kind of zoned out but the sand brought him back to attention.

'Pay attention Naruto….Remember what it is I desire and when I receive it I shall grant you a single desire in return. Any desire…'

Naruto nodded to himself and tuned back into the conversation. After Urahara's and his initial distrust of each other died down Naruto was given a chance to explain himself. Of course he didn't give anything away aside from being a hollow and friend of Ichigo's. He would dodge Kisuke's questions by reversing them onto the other man. It was amusing to watch the man get so annoyed because of that. They began to argue about rescuing Rukia and how Ichigo was just using it as an excuse to kill himself. Ichigo froze and his eyes widened at the shock of truth. Still, Naruto frowned at how harsh Kisuke was being. That was a little too far. After Ichigo had calmed down Kisuke explained that they had a month to Rescue Rukia. Naruto smiled maniacally. That would be plenty of time. After Urahara had given Ichigo some pills, that Naruto eyed untrustingly (I mean come on! It had a skull and crossbones on it!), Kisuke snapped his fan shut and shooed Ichigo away. Naruto's ever closed eyes remained on Urahara even as Ichigo stepped past him to leave.

"Oi. You coming Naruto?" Naruto jumped in surprise when Ichigo touched his shoulder. Turning to face him, Naruto saw Ichigo scowling. But in his eyes he could see worry. "I don't want to have to rescue your ass too."

Naruto smiled toothily and stood up from his seat, noticing Kisuke watch his every move. Hmph! Just cause he's a hollow doesn't mean he's evil! Naruto threw his hand up and ruffled Ichigo's hair, forcing the boy to bend down. Ichigo struggled but that only made it worse so he looked up at Naruto instead. "Don't worry berry-chan! Nothing can tame me."

Ichigo shoved off the offending hand (finally!) and snorted. "Yeah. I already know that. You're too crazy for anyone to handle you!"

Naruto's smile dropped. "Well….one person can." Then his smile came back full force. "I can introduce you to him! Sasuke will absolutely despise you at first cause you're just like me!" Naruto seemed genuinely excited and practically hopped out of the store. "C'mon Ichigo. I wanna go to the soul society!

Urahara giggled at the two from behind his fan when Ichigo scowled and stomped out, trying to hit Naruto on the head but failing. Afterwards he asked Uryuu to prepare the training room for Ichigo.

It was strange. No one seemed to remember Rukia aside from Naruto. It was as if she had never existed at all. Ichigo had wanted to ask his friends if they had remembered her but a well-placed glance from Naruto told him not too. They would probably think he was crazy if he asked anyway. It was before school ended that Orihime came up to talk to him.

"Ichigo. Why does no one remember Rukia?" She stared at Ichigo expecting an answer.

"Orihime….you remember?"

She looked at him in confusion. "Of course I do. Why wouldn't I-"

She was cut off when Naruto came running up to them and grabbed Ichigo before running away laughing. She blinked in shock. "H-huh?"

Ichigo flailed in Naruto's grip. "Naruto! What are you doing? Let go!"

Naruto smiled. "I saved ya Berry-chan. She wasn't going to stop asking you questions and you know it."

"Well yeah, but-"

"No buts! We need to get you trained for the soul society."

Ichigo only nodded and was set down when they reached Urahara's shop. Naruto grinned and shoved Ichigo through the door before turning to leave. "Oi. Where are you going?"

"Hunting. I'm hungry and need to eat." Well that wasn't entirely true. The sand was telling him to kill again.

"Hunting? That's a weird way to put it. Whatever. Just be sure to stay safe." With that Ichigo went inside to begin his training. Naruto nodded in recognition to the cat leaving Kisuke's and then vanished to where a hollow was. With Ichigo training Naruto could kill all he wanted and still protect his….friends. After successfully quenching his thirst for blood Naruto returned to watch Ichigo's training. Ichigo was actually trying to hit the little girl and not succeeding. After Ichigo managed to scratch the girl Naruto felt her aura shift. It was filled with bloodlust. Before she managed to land a kick on Ichigo, Naruto appeared in front of him and caught her ankle in his fist. A large shockwave reverberated from the contact and ruffled Naruto's blonde hair. His agitated set everyone there on edge. Before Uryuu (spelling?) could try another attack Kisuke appeared and calmed her down, while Naruto sat down at his previous seat on one of the boulders. Urahara explained that the next phase of Ichigo's training was to get his powers back, and Tessai promptly cut Ichigo's chain-of-fate before he fell down a giant hole. Ichigo landed with a loud "bang!" which caused Naruto to laugh. He walked over to the hole and bent over to peer down to where Tessai had bound Ichigo's arms.

"Hey Ichigo!" Naruto yelled.

"Yeah?"

Naruto grinned. "Don't die and hurry up. The sooner you get up here, the sooner we can have some fun in the soul society."

"You're not the one stuck in a hole! ...but I get it. Alright? Now get outta here!"

Naruto chuckled and straightened again. He turned to leave as Urahara stared at him from under his hat. "And where will you be going this time?"

"Out. Ichigo is going to be down there for a while." Naruto glided past him. "Oh! And don't kill him right away when he comes up either. I'm sure he'll be like your friends the vizards."

Naruto giggled before peaking open his eyes, much like Gin would Kisuke thought. Kisuke didn't openly show fear but inside he was nervous about the state of mind the kid had. "I know many things my dear banished captain. I will not reveal my plans to you, however…" Naruto allowed some bloodlust to seep into his reitsu and a bloodthirsty smile nearly split his face in half. "I think I can make do without you." Naruto felt his growing insanity and found it increasingly harder to keep himself in control. That is until Ichigo's voice from the hole brought him back.

"Hey! Don't spit on me. Gross!" Naruto's previous grin became smaller and his eyes closed again before he said a quick, "Tata~" and left via soneido. Kisuke stared at the spot Naruto had previously occupied before sheathing his sword. It unnerved him at how much the hollow knew about him, yet Naruto also confused him by calming down after hearing Ichigo's voice. (AN: This is NOT a IchiNaru pairing) Loyalty within a hollow….how interesting….

_Day to go to Soul Society:_

Ichigo had a scowl on his face as he listened to Kisuke explain how the sekaimon works and how much time he, and his friends, would have. Ichigo allowed one part of his brain to listen while the other thought of his friends. He couldn't believe that Chad and Orihime had spiritual powers! And Uryu was willing to help a shinigami? Then there was Naruto. Rukia had warned him to stay away from the blonde and now he knew why. Naruto had powers to, Ichigo just didn't know what kind. But that didn't matter to him. A loud poof and cloud of smoke appeared next to him out of the blue shocking Ichigo. Orihime coughed while Urahara whipped out his fan.

"How nice of you to join us Naruto."

"Hee-hee. Sorry. I got lost on the road of life."

Ichigo hit him on the head harshly and scowled. "Don't lie! You-"

"Naruto!" Orihime shouted. "You're here too? Then are you like us?" She gestured to herself and Chad.

"Sort of…" Naruto smiled at her. "I take it you have trained with Yoruichi?"

"Uh-huh. And now we're going to the soul society with Ichigo!"

The two held hands and squealed. "It's like watching two girls rather than a girl and boy." Ichigo deadpanned.

"Hm…" Chad agreed.

"Ok!" Urahra interrupted. "We have limited time."

Instantly all joking stopped and everyone adopted determined looks. Ichigo tightened his fists and stared at the gate. "Rukia. I swear we will, I will, rescue you. That's a promise."

"Is that yours?"

Ichigo looked at Naruto confuse while everyone else stepped towards the gate. The blonde was strangely serious. "My what?"

"Your promise of a lifetime. Was that yours?"

Ichigo remembered meeting Rukia, saving his family, hunting hollows, going to school, and seeing her change into a more relaxed person. He wouldn't let that all fade away. Naruto waited patiently for his answer. "Yes." Ichigo said it with the strongest conviction he had ever mustered.

Naruto smiled brightly, startling Ichigo. He had never seen the blonde with a **warm** smile before. Naruto started to step past him toward the gate. His hair swayed in some breeze and he gripped the sword on his back. "Then I will do everything in my power to make it true."

Ichigo stared at Naruto's back which seemed broader and stronger than before. It made him think of how much the blonde's true age showed. That was the back of a warrior who had seen hell yet still keeps on fighting. What was he fighting for? Naruto turned his head towards Ichigo. "Well? You coming?"

Ichigo snapped out of his thoughts and rushed forward. He looked at Naruto again and silently thanked him for his support.


End file.
